Beating Business Burnout

By Lynn H. Colwell

5 Remedies for relief when the pressure's on.

If you find yourself exhausted, ridden by anxiety, suffering
physical problems such as headaches, stomach aches, or sore
muscles, it's time to consider whether you're on the verge
of burnout. Start by asking yourself a few questions:

* What must I do to regain the happiness and feelings of
fulfillment I used to enjoy in my business?

* What is the number-one problem I'm experiencing, and what can
I do about it?

* Who can I call on to help get relief from the constant pressures
I'm under? While every individual is different, many people who
eventually burn out share some common traits:

1. Inability to set boundaries. During the start-up
phase, it can be especially hard to know when to say
"no," according to Mark Gorkin, a Washington, DC,
consultant also known as "The Stress Doc."

"Entrepreneurs sometimes work 24 hours a day," he
says. "They feel they have to do that to make the business
work." Gorkin asserts that entrepreneurs, as risk takers,
target very ambitious goals. That's not a bad thing, he says,
"but sometimes their expectations are out of whack with
reality. They give themselves very difficult tasks which,
sometimes, they can't realistically meet."

Developing "detached concern" can help you set those
boundaries, says Gorkin. "With detached concern, you're
genuinely involved with people and projects," he explains,
"but you weigh how much you give and how much you take, or
expect, from yourself and others. Detached concern means not being
all things to all people."

2. Lack of balance. Gorkin points out that many
entrepreneurs get little sleep, working almost around the clock,
mostly on adrenaline. He points to exercise as a vital ingredient
in burnout prevention. "Partially, it's just getting away
from your work that's helpful," he says. "But when
you're feeling vulnerable and overworked, a sense of control is
important. Exercise, such as running, can give you a mental lift.
If you go for a run, there's a beginning and end point and a
sense of control. You've accomplished something
tangible."

Lisa Roberts, a marketing and communications consultant in
Fairfield, Connecticut, and the author of How to Raise a Family
and a Career Under One Roof (Bookhaven Press, $15.95,
800-782-7424), says, "When you're working at home and
running your own business, you're constantly shuffling to
accommodate the needs of your clients, your children and your
spouse. Your `self' gets buried at the very bottom."

But even people who don't work from home face the
self-management problems that can bring on burnout. "Learn to
take the big picture and break it into specific tasks," she
says. "If you don't get on top of it, you'll get
buried underneath."

Treat yourself as well as you do your business, advises Nuttall.
"When I'm tired, I rest. When I'm hungry, I stop and
eat," she says. "Sound simple? When you're driven by
work, you put off eating and resting to get this one thing done,
and the next, and so on. Now, even in the middle of a very busy
spate, I will take off one day during the week and go hiking or do
something totally non-technical. I might get a massage when things
get stressful. I think a lot more about balancing all aspects of
myself with work."

Victoria Siegel, owner of The Perfect Gift, a personalized
gift-basket and gifts company in St. Louis, tries to leave her home
office by 6 p.m. and avoids working weekends. "Since I tend to
lose my determination to stick to this regimen, I make plans with
friends to either be out of my house or at least entertain them
here," says Siegel. "When I'm done working for the
day, I close and lock the door and pretend I just left an office
building and can't wait to get home."

3. Inability to prioritize. With so much to do, many
entrepreneurs slip when they can't decide what's really
important. Siegel explains why it's so difficult for her to
prioritize: "As an entrepreneur, I'm the stock clerk,
receptionist, shipping-and-receiving department, inventory
department, order department, accounts receivable, accounts
payable, customer service person, designer, marketer, saleswoman,
writer, buyer, janitor, file clerk, data-entry person, secretary
and purchasing department. Sometimes I get to be the owner, too!
There's so much to be done that there's no way anything can
ever be totally completed."

Another entrepreneur who has seen his employees burn out, Steve
Thomson, president of Avenida Travel Services in Irvine, California
says, "In my opinion, burnout occurs when someone just
continues wrestling with their to-do list without asking some key
questions: Is this vital to the client or my company? Is this
urgent? What will happen if I don't do it now?" The key to
avoiding the problem, according to Thomson, is to "organize
your day, every day, before you start."

4. Perfectionistic tendencies. Thomson believes
perfectionists are the most likely to burn out. "Among people
who've left our company due to burnout, I see a pattern of
perfectionism in their overall approach to life, and that they have
trouble adapting to the fact that this is just not a perfect
world."

Perfectionists believe they are superhumans who can have it all
and do it all--perfectly. "They can range from the overbearing
taskmaster to the self-sacrificing martyr," says Gorkin.

Putting constant pressure on yourself day after day when
you're growing a business is an invitation for disaster. To
prevent total collapse, perfectionists need to learn to give up
some control. Delegating can be exceedingly difficult for
perfectionists, but it may be the only way they can avoid total
burnout.

5. Lack of motivation. Potter targets lack of motivation
as a symptom of burnout. To fight it, own your life, not just your
business. "Managing your own motivation involves setting
magnetic goals that attract you," says Potter, "and
rewarding yourself for small steps on the way to those
goals."

Nuttall is dedicated to attending conferences and trade shows to
keep up with a quickly evolving industry, widen her circle of
contacts, and keep her life and business interesting. "Now
that I work for myself, I pay a lot of attention to learning new
things, not just rehashing the same ground professionally,"
says Nuttall.

Gorkin agrees. "Get new training. Learn new skills,"
he says. "As I like to say, `Variety in the day keeps burnout
away.' "